Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund: The Facts |
Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund: The Facts
Perhaps the full $1.8 billion fund will not be required, but it is likely that a substantial fund will be needed to compensate people victimized by overzealous political prosecutors.
Joe Fried | May 25, 2026
President Trump and sons sued the federal government for its unauthorized release of their tax returns to the public. A settlement resulted, and it was agreed that a $1.8 billion fund would be established to compensate people (but not the Trumps) who were prosecuted on the basis of their political convictions.
This Anti-Weaponization fund will be available to anyone making a credible and verified claim, regardless of party or politics. Even James Comey and Letitia James will have the opportunity to file claims. However, it is likely that most claims will be made by people who were excessively prosecuted for their actions in or near the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Critics say that Trump has established a “slush fund,” while supporters claim that the fund will be used for people who deserve compensation.
To determine whether those J6 prosecutions were excessive, I compared them to the prosecutions related to a similar event that took place seven months earlier: the May-June 2020 White House and Lafayette Park riots. For each of those two events, I considered the nature and number of the crimes committed, the vigor of the prosecutorial efforts, and the reasonableness of the punishments rendered.
Although the J6 events are widely known, there has been relatively little news coverage of the May-June riots at the White House. For that reason, a summary of those events is presented here.
The White House and Lafayette Park Riots of 2020
Starting on May 29, 2020, thousands of protestors began a three to four-day riot at the White House and nearby Lafayette Park. Although they were angry about the George Floyd killing, the riot was very political, and it was directed against the Trump White House.
“Protestors attempted to breach the Treasury Annex,” and they “threw projectiles at officers, including bricks, rocks, water bottles, and gallons of milk.” They also “deployed fireworks, threw alcohol at government agents, fired pepper spray at officers, and attempted to hit them with........